These deliciously zesty and sweet eggless lemon brownies have the texture of a brownie but taste like a fudgy lemon blondie! Topped with a dairy free cream cheese icing, you won’t believe these lemon brownies are vegan!

bitten vegan lemon brownie

Tell me about these lemon brownies:

Believe me, I’m always down for a good batch of fudgy vegan brownies. But in the summertime, why not try brownie’s zesty cousin, the lemon brownie?!

These somehow fudge-like, soft, and chewy lemon brownies are like a cross between a brownie, a blondie, and a lemon bar. They’re full of zest while also being perfectly sweet and somehow refreshing. Especially topped with this easy dairy free cream cheese frosting!

sliced vegan lemon brownies

As easy to make as any brownie or cookie bar recipe, these lemon blondies are a delight to eat- and you don’t even need to use any eggs nor dairy!

That’s right- these bars are entirely vegan and dairy free, yet you’d never know. Kinda like my zesty lemon curd sweet rolls (I love a surprise!). Perfect for any summer party, really, or when you have a bag full of lemons and you want something other than lemon loaf cake!

Steps for making vegan lemon brownies:

Like I mentioned before, these vegan lemon brownies are as easy to make as any brownie recipe. So if you’ve done that before, then you’re in tip top shape! Let’s start with an overview:

  1. First, we’ll make the flaxseed “eggs:” Now don’t go swapping in real eggs here, because this is where we’re adding the flavor. This isn’t like any other vegan egg substitute you normally find. We’ll mix coconut cream and lemon juice together with the flaxseed until it coagulates.
  2. Next, make the white chocolate fudge: I like to use Pascha Chocolate’s vegan white chocolate. It’s amazing! Melt it with vegan butter into a white chocolate fudge sauce, then set aside.
  3. Finally, we make the batter: The key here is rubbing the sugar with the lemon zest to release the lemon oils and make the lemon brownies more fragrant. Then we whisk in the remaining liquid ingredients until the sugar dissolves- key to getting that crinkly top, yes even on lemon blondies! Finally, we stir in the white chocolate fudge sauce.
  4. Fold in the dry ingredients: This is just your flour, cornstarch (for chewiness!), and sea salt. You can even add in an extra 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips if desired!
  5. And bake! That’s it! Then we’ll top with a lemon cream cheese frosting once cooled.
bowl of vegan lemon brownie batter
baked vegan lemon brownies
sliced and iced vegan lemon brownies

Can I make these vegan lemon brownies gluten free?

Absolutely! However, I only recommend using a gluten free flour blend, like King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour. It’s the best brand I’ve found to work in this recipe.

Don’t want to use frosting?

Leave these fudgy vegan lemon brownies as is, or drizzle them with a simple glaze, like on my lemon pound cake!

sliced vegan lemon brownies

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Soft & Chewy Vegan Lemon Brownies pinterest pin

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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bitten vegan lemon brownie

Soft & Chewy Vegan Lemon Brownies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These deliciously zesty and sweet eggless lemon brownies have the texture of a brownie but taste like a fudgy lemon blondie! Topped with a dairy free cream cheese icing, you won’t believe these lemon brownies are vegan!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Lemon Brownies

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 6 ounces vegan white chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) aquafaba or soy milk, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut cream
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice
  • Zest from 3 lemons
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
  • 1 tbsp organic  cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Optional: additional 1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese
  • 1 cup (140 g) sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F, and line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Make the flaxseed “egg” by whisking together the ground flaxseed, coconut cream, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Melt the chocolate: Heat the vegan butter until hot in the microwave, then stir in the vegan white chocolate chips until they melt. Set aside.
  3. Make the batter: In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together to release the lemon oils. Then add in the aquafaba, flaxseed mixture, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Whisk vigorously or use a hand mixer until the granulated sugar has dissolved into the liquid. Then add in the white chocolate mixture, and whisk just until combined.
  4. Fold in the dry ingredients: Add in the flour, cornstarch, and sea salt, and fold the dry ingredients into the lemon brownie batter just until mixed. Then fold an additional 1/2 cup of vegan white chocolate chips in if desired.
  5. Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake. For a 9×9 pan, you’ll need about 30-32 minutes, for an 8×8 pan, you’ll need about 35-37 minutes. The toothpick should come out clean.
  6. Rest and cool: Allow the lemon brownies to cool in the pan for 30 minutes afterwards.
  7. Frost and enjoy! When the brownies are fully cool, you can frost! In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon extract, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer. Spread the cream cheese frosting onto cooled brownies. Slice and serve!

Notes

Gluten free: I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure baking flour. It’s the best!